Vinesh Photat 'contemplated suicide' after being 'tortured by WFI president for missing Olympic medal'
1 min read . Updated: 20 Jan 2023, 05:32 PM IST
PremiumThe protesting grapplers have levelled charges of sexual harassment of women wrestlers by the WFI president and its coaches, and mismanagement in the functioning of the federation.
Ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat has lent her voice to the ongoing protests against the Wrestling Federation India and its chairman. The agitators have levelled charges of sexual harassment of women wrestlers by the WFI president and its coaches, and mismanagement in the functioning of the federation. They have also sought the dissolution of WFI and the formation of a new committee.
“Vinesh Phogat was mentally harassed and tortured by the WFI President after she missed out on an Olympic medal in Tokyo. She almost contemplated suicide," a letter signed by several prominent grapplers contends.
The letter signed by Phogat and fellow athletes Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia also claimed that the coaches and sports science staff assigned to the national camp by the WFI president was "absolutely incompetent and not on merit.
“They are just his informants and they create a very bad atmosphere in the national camp," the letter added.
The ace wrestlers are all participating in the sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital.
WFI chairman Brij Bhushan Saran Singh has however refuted the allegations levelled by the protesting wrestlers. He had also claimed that he would expose the "political conspiracy" in a press conference in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda on Friday.
Earlier on Thursday, some wrestlers had held a reportedly inconclusive meeting with Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur While the meeting stretched till early this morning, the minister is likely to meet with grapplers again today at his residence.
Several prominent wrestlers have also written to PT Usha, President of the Indian Olympic Association on the "sexual harassment" complaints against the WFI chairman.
(With inputs from agencies)